Photographs of Ours
by Kiki Malone
Summary: When Mutsuki was little, he thought that his parents were perfect, that his family was perfect... he thought the world was perfect. One day, however, he and his cousin, Hajime, learn that the world isn't always the happy place they thought. Now, he looks at the world with open eyes as his family grows and go through their ever changing lives. Fruits Basket Another backstory.
1. Things That Shine

****Pictures of Ours****

 ** **Chapter One: Things That Shine****

When Mutsuki was little, his family lived in an apartment. His father would go to work and his mother would stay home with him, and later, his siblings. She would take them with her when she ran errands. She would make them meals, read to them, teach them small projects and, sometimes, watch a movie with them. Throughout the day, she would do some cleaning. At one point in the day, she would set the older children up with some toys (sometimes she would pop in a Mogeta movie) and keep the baby close to her, while she worked on some papers.

Every evening, when his father came home from work, he would sweep the children up in hugs as they ran to him, and then look for his wife. Whether she was cooking, cleaning, still working on the papers or taking a nap; he would kiss her on the cheek and she would smile. The evening would proceed with his father going back and forth between spending time with the children and helping his wife (although she hit him if he tried cooking). After dinner, they would either do something as a family or the children would run off to play while their parents caught spent some time together, before sending them to bed.

On his days off, his father would spend the day with them. Some days they would stay home and some days they would go out together. It was on a day out, when he was four years old, that he began to wonder about his family and whether or not they were strange. They were at a park and his two year old sister, Miyuki, wanted their parents to play with them. While Miyuki ran to their father and pregnant mother, Mutsuki continued playing ball with some older kids and his cousin, Hajime, who was visiting with his family. The ball got kicked too far, so he and Hajime ran into the trees to retrieve it. They ended up in the bushes, behind a bench occupied by three women, and that was when he heard the conversation that made him begin to wonder.

"Oh! What a beautiful man!" One of the women exclaimed.

"Which one?" Another asked.

"The one with the silver hair." The first replied.

Mutsuki realized that they were talking about his father and peeked his head out of the bushes, to see that Miyuki had succeeded in her quest. Both of his parents were now walking across the playground, with Miyuki directing them from atop his father's shoulder, while her brown pigtails flopped in the wind.

"That's Yuki Sohma." The third woman supplied. "He works at the flower shop I go to, and he's also gardener at one of the estates around town."

"Really? You know him?" The second woman asked.

"Barely, I'm just one of his customers, but Nyoko went to university with him. She's even visited his home on a few occasions."

"Ms. Aguni knows him?" The first woman asked.

"Does she know how he ended up with a woman like _that_?" The second asked.

"Yeah, how does someone so beautiful end up with a woman so plain and boring?"

Plain? Boring? Mutsuki had always though that his mother was beautiful, and he had heard plenty of people call her beautiful. How could these women say something like that?!

"That's what everyone says." The third woman replied. "Aguni told me that their classmates were all shocked when she came for a visit. They thought that his girlfriend would be a model, not someone like her."

"Does she have a job?" The first asked.

"No. She moved in with him right after she graduated high school, and married him not long after. Never got a job and barely cleans. Nyoko says the place is filthy."

"It sounds like she's taking advantage of him." The second said. "The poor man must be the only one taking care of the child as well, and with a second on the way, how do you think he'll cope?"

"Third, actually." The informer corrected. " They have a boy too, I've seen him a few times at the shop. Looks just like his father, silver hair and all."

" _Three_ children?!" The first woman exclaimed. "How does that even happen? Especially with a couple like that!"

"Aguni supposes that it's because he's friends with her brother

"Why would that matter?"

"She said that they're both from wealthy families, but _she_ got disowned. Her brother begged Yuki to marry her so that she'd be provided for. Normally, I wouldn't approve of an affair, but in this case, I think that there should be an exception." She sighed. "But he's too afraid of upsetting his friend so he just stays with her."

"That's awful!" The second woman gasped. "How could anybody do that to their friend?"

"Even if it's for your sister, that's low." The first commented. "And now that beautiful man is stuck with that awful woman!"

Mutsuki did not fully understand what he had heard, but what he did, he could not believe. He thought that his parents loved each other. Did Uncle Kakeru really _beg_ his father? Were his parents lying to him? Were they even happy?"

"AT LEAST HE'S NOT WITH A MEAN OLD LADY LIKE YOU!"

Mutsuki looked up to see that Hajime was no longer crouching in the bushes, but standing and yelling in the ears of the women.

"AUNT MACHI IS WAY PRETTIER THAN YOU UGLY PIGS! AND SHE _PLAYS_ WITH _HER_ KIDS! YOU DON'T! _YOU'RE_ THE BORING ONES!"

The gossipers were rather startled by the screaming five year old. Two of them had fallen off the bench and the third had stood up and now looked down upon Hajime.

"Such a rude child, should _not_ be lecturing adults."

"You think my kid is rude?"

Mutsuki looked up and saw that Uncle Kyo had arrived and heard Hajime's outburst.

"It sounds like you were the one being rude and saying some nasty stuff about his aunt."

"Well I -I-" The woman was flabbergasted and struggling for an excuse.

"What's going on here?" Mutsuki's father asked, as he arrived.

"DADDY!" Mutsuki burst out of the bushes and jumped into his father's arms, as Hajime began his explanation.

"SHE CALLED AUNT MACHI PLAIN AND BORING! BUT SHE'S NOT! SHE SAID THAT SHE'S DIRTY AND A BAD MOMMY! BUT SHE'S LYING!

"Will you get this child under control!" The woman snapped. "He's causing a scene!"

"WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" Yuki and Kyo yelled at her.

"She said that you don't love Mommy." Mutsuki mumbled into his father's shoulder.

"What?" Yuki asked, stunned.

He pulled his son's head away from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. His heart almost broke, upon seeing the tears that the four year old was trying to hold back.

"She said that Uncle Kakeru m-made you marry h-er..." Mutsuki sniffled. "A-and that you only have u-us... so that he w-won't be mad!" He finished, before he began wailing into his father's shoulder.

Yuki hugged his son close to his chest. Most of the park had been watching the scene unfold. Many had been murmuring and taking sides, but now that a child was crying, most were glaring at the women who had caused it. Machi and Tohru had been asked to stay behind with the two younger children while their husbands dealt with the situation, but upon seeing her son crying, Machi could not stay back. She handed Miyuki to Tohru (who was already holding her own daughter) so that she could get to her son as fast as her pregnant body would allow.

Yuki, after seeing his son cry and hearing what the woman had said, was now furious. He looked back up at the woman who he recognized as one of his regular customers, and spoke in the calmest voice he could muster.

"Mrs. Kazetani, you have been a valued customer for years; But if you are going to spread _lies_ about my wife, I'll have to ask you to take your business elsewhere. If you have an issue with that, you can take it up with Mr. Hamasaki, but I don't think that he'll be happy to hear what you've said about Machi. He's quite fond of her, and also the accounting work that she's been doing for him."

Machi had finally arrived by her husband's side and was now reaching for her son. Yuki shifted the four year old into his wife's waiting arms, and wrapped his own around both of them as he walked away. Machi gently wiped her son's eyes as she began whispering words of comfort to him. Yuki smiled at his wife and son, once again thanking whatever higher power had brought her into his life, as they walked. Before they got far, however, they heard a yelp and turned their heads around.

Hajime had kicked Mrs. Kazetani in the shin. She grabbed his arm, only to have her wrist grabbed by Kyo.

" _Control your child!_ " She snarled at him.

"We've already been over this, lady! I'll control my kid when I need to, but right now, you're the one that needs some fucking control!"

"Kyo!" Tohru exclaimed.

She handed Miyuki to Yuki, and her pushed her daughter, Kazumi, into Kyo's arms, forcing him to let go of Mrs. Kazetani. She knelt down and began easing the woman's grip on her son, as she spoke.

"It was wrong of Hajime to kick you, but what you did was wrong as well. I don't know why you were talking about Machi, but you should not have been saying such hurtful things. Especially when they are not true."

Tohru picked up her son.

"I'll talk to Hajime, but please promise me that you'll think about what you did as well. You hurt a lot of people today, especially these innocent children." She finished, before she walked away with her family.

When they returned to the apartment, the adults tried their best to explain what happened, to the two boys. It was a difficult subject, but in the end, Tohru was able to help.

"Somebody once told me that 'People throw rocks at things that shine'." Tohru said. "I think that those women were jealous of your parents' happiness. They thought that saying mean things and spreading rumors would make them feel better, but that never works. It only hurts others and forces you deeper into your own pain."

Mutsuki felt better after hearing his Aunt Tohru's words, but he still could not get what he had heard out of his head. His family said that the women were lying, but he now realized that he did not know how his parents had met, or fell in love. When it was time for bed and he, Hajime and Miyuki were tucked into the same bed, with his father about to start the bed time story, he finally asked the questions that were on his mind.

"How did you and Mommy meet?" Mutsuki asked.

Machi looked up from the drawer, that she was putting clothing in, and Yuki looked surprised for a moment, before answering.

"In high school. We were on the student council together."

"What's that?" Hajime asked.

"Student council? It's a group of students in the school, who represent the student body's interests and work with the staff, to organize events and help the students."

"...What?" Both boys asked.

"We helped the other students and set things up." Machi supplied.

"Oh..." Mutsuki thought for a moment. "I understand, now."

"Me too." Hajime agreed.

Yuki looked between his wife and the children.

"What was wrong with my explanation?"

"It was too long and you used too many words and phrases that they've never heard."

Yuki looked back at the kids, who were nodding -even little Miyuki, who did not know what was going on.

"Fine. Let's just read the story, now, okay?"

"How did you fall in love?" Mutsuki interrupted.

His parents glanced at each other.

"That..."

"It's a long story." Yuki finally said. "We didn't fall in love at first sight. In fact we butted heads a few times -your mother nearly killed me once, because of something your uncle Kakeru did."

"What did he do?"

"You don't need to know!" Mutsuki's parents snapped in unison.

The three children stared at the two adults, slightly afraid.

"Why are you asking these questions, all of a sudden?" Yuki asked. "Is it because of what those ladies said?"

Mutsuki twisted part of the blanket between his hands for a few moments, before nodding. The two parents sighed. Machi left the laundry basket next to the dresser and came over to her husband, who pulled her into his lap.

"You know that everything those women said was untrue, right?" Yuki asked.

Mutsuki nodded.

"But it still worries you, doesn't it?" Machi said gently.

Mutsuki nodded again, and his mother reached out and stroked his hair.

"Your father was one of the first people to care about me, and the only one who understood me." She told him.

"Your mother was also the only one to really understand me, and she was one of the few people I didn't feel lonely around and made me feel like I was worth something... She once chased me around the school just to say hello to me!" Yuki told them, causing his wife's face to turn red.

"DON'T TELL THEM ABOUT THAT!" She yelled, as she turned around and smacked him with a stuffed rabbit.

Yuki, however, was not deterred. Instead, he held his wife's arms at bay while telling the children more.

"And then she hit me with the worst paper flower in the world and said that it was for me!"

"Yuki!" Machi yelled, again, as she finally broke out of his grip and smacked him with the rabbit again.

The children were laughing now.

"Plus I found it cute whenever she got like this."

"What else happened?" Mutsuki asked.

"Your mother rescued me from a closet that I was locked in."

"And then your father vomited." Machi added, still, slightly upset.

"Ew." The boys said, causing Yuki to laugh.

"What else?" Mutsuki pressed.

The night proceeded with stories of Yuki and Machi's high school days, rather than the usual bedtime stories. Hajime wanted to hear stories about his parents, as well, so Yuki told some stories from when he lived with them and Machi told about her first time visiting the house. Tohru and Kyo, came in soon afterwards to see what all the laughing was about, and joined in with the stories. Eventually, the adults decided that it was time for the children to sleep, and ended the stories for the night. Mutsuki went to sleep with his mind at ease that night, but unfortunately, a door in his young mind had been opened.

* * *

 _So, before anybody complains about Machi being a stay-at-home mom, I'll explain my reasons for thinking she that she would be._

 _1\. Unlike Yuki, Machi didn't have a chance to discover anything that she really had a passion or talent for, until much later in life. I know from experience, that it takes a very long time to discover such things and decide on what you'll pursue._

 _2\. While Machi has had extensive character development, there are some things that you simply cannot put behind you. I feel that she wouldn't be able to leave behind enough to last long in most workplaces, which is something that both she and Yuki would acknowledge._

 _3\. As shown with her little brother, she is a very caring and nurturing individual; and after being separated from her brother at such a young age, I do believe that she would have some serious reservations about having someone else taking care of her children and missing part of their childhood._

 _4\. It wouldn't be very cost-efficient._

 _5\. Having been deprived of the love and attention they needed as children, I imagine that Yuki and Machi would do their best to ensure that their children grew up having that. The best way to ensure that is to have one parent who is always present and isn't distracted by work._

 _I had some other reasons as well, but dude... it's past midnight, and I have work in the morning._

 _Thank you for reading!_


	2. Braces Are Breaking

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket_

* * *

 **Photographs of Ours**

 **Chapter Two: Braces Are Breaking**

Ever since that day at the park, two weeks ago, Mutsuki had become more observant. He had never thought of his house as messy, before, but he now had to admit that it was not as _neat_ as others. There were always a few things out of place; books on the tables, a blanket on the couch, toys left out, a laundry basket in the corner. Some of the knick knacks had cracks in them and one of them was just, plain, broken. Very few of the dishes actually matched, and the bouquets of flowers that his father had brought home, always had some small flaw. Mutsuki had seen the flowers at the shop and now wondered how his father always managed to bring home one, that fell short of perfection.

Was his father really overworked, like those women had said? Did other mothers have jobs? His did not, and their home was messy. At least, that is what those women said. It probably was not really that bad, his parents had said that those women were liars... But their home was not as clean as any of their cousins'... or the Hamasakis'... or anybody that they visited, really. The voices of the women kept echoing around in his head and he tried to convince himself that they were wrong,

The raucous in his head was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of the phone. He looked up from the plate, he had just finished eating off of, and saw that the land line was ringing.

"Mutsuki!" His mother called from the bathroom, where she was cleaning his sister up after the mess she had made during lunch. "Can you answer that?"

"Sure!" Mutsuki called back as he got up from the table and walked over to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Mutsuki asked into the phone.

"Mutsuki?" His grandma Sohma answered. "Why are you answering the phone? Where's your father?"

"At work."

"And your mother?"

"She's cleaning Miyu."

"It's the middle of the day, why is she giving her a bath now?" His grandmother asked in a disapproving tone.

"She got messy during lunch." Mutsuki tried explaining.

"Of course she did." The woman muttered under her breath, before speaking to Mutsuki again. "Tell me Mutsuki, is that place still a mess?"

Mutsuki was silent. He never thought much of it when his grandparents asked that question. Now that he thought about it, though, they were always commenting about the apartment being messy, all four of them. How had he never noticed before? Even when they had not been this direct or speaking to him, he should have noticed.

He looked around the apartment and took in it's current state. There was a basket of laundry, that they had just pulled off the clothes line, sitting next to the balcony door. A few books were scattered around the small living room. The toys that he and Miyuki had been playing with, before lunch, were still where they had left them. Looking in the kitchen, he realized that they had not cleaned the dishes yet, and that there was a book on the counter.

 _Was_ it dirty?

"Mutsuki?" Grandma Sohma's voice drew his attention. "Did you hear me? I asked if it was still messy over there."

"I don't know..." Mutsuki mumbled, unsure of how to answer.

"Is there anything on the floor?" His grandmother asked.

Mutuski looked at the toys.

"Yes."

"Is there anything out of place or things that have not been put away?"

Mutsuki looked at the books and the basket of laundry.

"Yes." He replied again.

"And is there anything, besides your sister, that needs to be cleaned?"

Mutsuki looked at the dishes next to the sink, and the table where his sister had made a mess.

"...Yes." He confirmed quietly.

"Then it's a mess." The old woman replied, before sighing. "I don't know what he sees in that woman..." She said to herself before talking to him, directly again. "Have you started school yet?"

"No."

"That's right, your only four... Do you know where you'll be going to school?"

"No."

"I suppose that your parents will choose a no-name school, just like they did for themselves. I'll have to talk to them about that."

It became silent, with neither of them talking. It was always weird, talking to his grandparents, but it was especially difficult talking to his Sohma grandparents. He did not know why, it seemed that there was not much that interested them. They were not interested in the stories he read, games he played or what he had done that day. Most of their interest was in how he talked, how high he could count and how many characters he knew. Every birthday, they would give him flashcards, writing utensils or some type of informational book that he couldn't even read -they had once even given him an English dictionary.

"Is your mother almost done?" His grandmother asked after a minute of the silence. "This isn't a social call, and I have other things to do."

It was at that moment that Miyuki ran out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Her wet hair was in her eyes as she ran to the couch and nearly fell backwards.

"Miyuki, come back here!" His mother called from the bathroom.

"I think so." Mutsuki responded to his grandmother's question.

"Good." She said curtly.

A few seconds later, his mother walked out of the bathroom. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail and the sleeves of her black shirt were rolled up to her elbows. She was carrying the small bunch of dirty laundry with her, and laughed a little as Miyuki ran back and hugged her around the legs.

"Who's on the phone?" She asked, as she crouched down to pick Miyuki with her free arm.

"Grandma Sohma." He responded. "She wants to talk you."

The smile dropped from her face to be replaced by a look of annoyance. She dropped the clothes in a heap on the floor, walked over to Mutsuki, grabbed the phone out of his hand and quickly put it to her ear.

"Hello Mrs. Sohma, how can I help you?"

Mutsuki could no longer hear his grandmother's side of the conversation. He watched his mother as she listened to the older woman talking. She kept Miyuki held to her awkwardly, against her round stomach, as she walked to the couch and tossed the folded blanket to the floor.

"I can't change Miyuki's birthday." She said.

She plucked a flower from the vase on the coffee table and crushed it, before tossing it on the floor.

"No, we cannot reschedule it."

She was moving into the dining area and towards the kitchen.

"It's your choice, to come or not. If you truly find some dinner party to be more important than your granddaughter's birthday, then don't come. It would actually be a relief."

She had knocked the book off the counter and was now tossing trivets, oven mitts and teabags on the floor.

"Because Yuki thinks that it's important for our children to have their grandparents in their lives."

She tossed the, now empty box, that had once held tea bags and began pulling flowers out of the vase closest to her.

" It doesn't matter how badly he wants you in their lives, we are not going to reschedule just so that you can come... You've known about this for months."

She began walking back past the table, into the living room and to the laundry basket. Miyuki was looking at their mother with a puzzled expression on her face, and Mutsuki was now studying her strange behavior. He had seen her do this before, but never thought much of it until now. She was spilling the laundry, now, and shoving it across the floor with her left foot.

"Even if we rescheduled, you would probably reschedule again... Something is _always_ coming up... I have a file that says otherwise... Of course I made one... I decided that I should keep track... For in a case we ever had this conversation."

The laundry was thoroughly scattered. Machi looked around while listening to her mother-in-law, and walked over to the book shelf on the other side of the television. She began pulling books off the shelf and dropping them on the floor.

"I'm sorry that it's inconvenient to you, that we celebrate our daughter's birthday as close to her birthday as we can, but we're _not_ changing it, and that's _final_... Yuki already agrees with me. We discussed it before we invited you."

She was quiet as she listened for a few moments.

" _Look!_ If you want to come so badly, then skip the dinner party! If the damn dinner party is more important to you, then _go_! But don't bother us about! And even if we wanted you there that badly, we still couldn't reschedule, because -like _always_ \- you're not the only ones that we invited!"

Between her stomach and Miyuki, Machi could no longer reach any more books on the shelf. She glanced at her husband's potted plants, near the balcony door, and quickly turned away. She walked back to the end table, where Mutsuki was still standing, and opened the drawer on it. She began crumpling the papers inside it and dropping them on the floor.

"Yes. Ayame and his family are coming... No. We are not uninviting them, even if we knew for sure that you were coming."

There was silence for a short amount of time, while the woman on the phone spoke, then Machi's face took on a deadly glare.

" _Yes_. My _older_ brotherand his family are coming too. So are my parents, in case you were wondering, as well as a few of Yuki's cousins and their families... This conversation is over, goodbye."

Machi hung up the phone and dropped it on the floor. She covered her face with her left hand for a few moments while both of the children stared at her. Miyuki, finally broke the awkward air by grabbing her mother's arm.

"Is Mommy a'right?" She asked.

Machi looked at the little girl, slightly shocked, before forming a small smile and touching the child's wet hair.

"Yes. Mommy is alright. Now let's get you dressed before you catch a cold." She said.

She began to walk towards the hall and ruffled Mutsuki's hair on the way.

"Grab your coat. We're going out."

Mutsuki watched his mother walk down the hall to his and Miyuki's room. He turned back to the disaster that the main living area had become... Maybe not _everything_ those women had said was true, but now, Mutsuki believed some of it. His mother _was_ messy. His father worked hard, his mother did not. Sometimes, she even made a bigger mess, like she had just done.

What if it really did become too much for his father? Especially after the new baby comes. What if his father gets angry at his mother? What if he is angry at her, _already_? What would happen then?

Mutsuki started trying to clean up the mess that his mother had made. He smoothed out the papers, as best he could, and put them back in the drawer. He had only gotten three pieces of laundry back in the basket when he heard his mother walking down the hallway. He ran and was at the door to the bath as she was opening the door to the hall.

"Mutsuki, I told you get your coat."

"I had to pee." He lied, not knowing why he did not just tell her that he was cleaning up _her_ mess.

His mother glanced at the door, and back at him.

"In the bath?"

"No! In the toilet! I just walked _through_ the bathroom!"

Machi laughed.

"I'm sorry. That was a silly question, wasn't it? I'm a little flustered right now. Go grab your coat now, okay?"

They spent the rest of the daylight hours out of the house. They went to the park for a little over an hour, before they stopped by the bakery. His mother asked for the owner, and the young man at the counter ran into the back. A few minutes later, a slightly older woman with her hair in a bun, walked out of the back, with the young man following her. The woman's hair was a slightly lighter shade of brown than his mother's and she seemed to have a permanent laugh on her face.

"Ah! It's Machi!" She turned to the man. "You haven't met Machi yet?"

"We haven't met before." Machi confirmed. "Is he new?"

"Ah! Yes, yes! This is Hiroji Mikami! I just hired him a few days ago! An acquaintance of my father's recommended him!" She introduced the man, who just stared at Machi, awkwardly.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Mikami." Machi said politely, while the chatty woman took a breath.

"And Mr. Mikami! This Machi Sohma! Her husband works for my uncle!"

"Husband?" He asked.

"Yes! Husband! Where did you think the kids came from?! She's been doing the accounting and budgets for both of our shops for -what, five years?"

"Close to six." Machi replied.

"That's right! You moved here back in 2001! -My father was still the owner then. But the point is, that you'll be seeing her and the children a lot. Aren't they beautiful children?"

"I... suppose so." Hiroji replied.

Machi figured that he was still taken aback by the woman's bubbly nature. It would probably take him awhile to get used to it, judging by his behavior. The bakery owner continued talking.

"This is Mutsuki! He's such a sweet boy! And so clever too! But I suppose that's to be expected, his parents are both so smart! And this is Miyuki! She's a sweet child too! But she's a handful! The last time she and Mutsuki came to pick up the bread for their parents, she colored on the window with a marker!" The woman, burst into laughter.

"Once again, Tamako, I'm very sorry about that." Machi said with a small bow.

"Oh, nonsense, nonsense! It's fine! She's only two! Besides, Mutsuki helped clean it up!" Tamako reassured Machi, while waving her hand. "Now look at this! I've been rambling again! You must have come here for something! What did you need? -Oh!" She turned to Hiroji. "I always give Mutsuki and Miyuki a free treat when they visit! Can you go to counter with them while they choose? Oh! And then you should take them to the back! The bakers love them!"

Hiroji quickly followed his boss's instructions and walked the two children over to the counter. They pressed their faces against the glass and stared at the delicious treats. It was always so hard to choose just one; Mrs. Sakai would have given them more than one free treat, but their parents had limited her to one. While trying to decide, Mutsuki could hear his mother and Mrs. Sakai talking.

"Now what did you need Machi? We have some fresh loaves of bread if you want! I can-"

"Oh, no, I'm not here for bread. I'm here to drop these off." Machi said.

Mutsuki did not have to turn around to know what she handing to the owner of the bakery. It seemed that every other time they were there; his mother and Mrs. Sakai passed papers, folders and the same book, between each other. It was one of those things that he never thought too hard about, and today, he was so consumed with the messy house that he thought about it even less.

"Oh my! I wasn't expecting these for another two days!"

Miyuki chose a slice of strawberry shortcake.

"The baby was keeping me up the other night, so I used the time to work."

Mutsuki chose a doughnut that looked like a cat, and headed to the back with his sister and Hiroji. They heard the beginning of Mrs. Sakai fawning over their unborn sibling, before they entered the kitchen. They spent a long time being adored by the bakers and helping them beat dough, cut out cookies and decorated some of the treats that were out of the oven. They were somewhat disappointed when their mother came back and told them that it was time to go. Miyuki excitedly showed their mother the the treats that they had decorated and Mrs. Sakai packaged the cookies in a paper bag, insisting that they keep them. When Machi said that they had already had enough sugar, the woman said that they should give them to Yuki. They left the bakery, waving to the staff as they left, and continued down the road to pick up some groceries.

"What do you want me to get today?" Mutsuki asked.

"You're staying with me today." His mother replied.

"Why?"

"Why do you want to go by yourself?"

"It's later than we usually go, it's faster if we split up."

"We're picking your father up from work tonight, so it's okay if we take longer."

"But it's not far from home. If we go faster, we can drop the food off at home and walk to the shop." Mutsuki tried to convince his mother, without telling her that his real intention was to clean up the apartment before his father got home.

"No. It might take longer than we plan. We're staying together" She said in a distracted, yet strangely, final tone.

It did not take long for Mutsuki to realize that she intended for it to take as long as possible. The first clue was the lack of a grocery list. She rarely ever _needed_ a grocery list, but she always brought one, anyways. When she " _realized_ " that she had not brought a list, she took the time to write one. The second clue, was that she was even pickier, about the price and quality, than usual. Then she asked employees and other shoppers for their opinion on everything, and changed her mind several times. When it was time to check out, she chose the longest line she could find. By the time they were done, Mutsuki felt like they had been in there fir an eternity, and they had only gotten three bags of groceries and some milk.

It was a little past dusk and they were now, finally, walking through the chilly air to the flower shop that his father worked at. It was less than two blocks away from the grocery store, so it was a short walk. Before they even got to the shop, the children spotted their father and his boss, taking down the outside display to bring inside. Their father was about to walk inside with the cart of flowers that he had just filled, when the children called out.

"Daddy!" They both yelled as Mutsuki took off down the sidewalk, still carrying a grocery bag, and Miyuki was released from her mother's grip to do the same.

Yuki looked away from the door that he was about to enter, in surprise, and saw his children running towards him. His boss, Mr. Hamasaki, a tan and strongly built man, chuckled. Yuki released the cart and moved towards his children and scooped them both up as they reached him. He laughed and gave them each a kiss on the head, before looking up at his wife, who was still making her way over. He smiled as he walked to meet her halfway, and gave her a small kiss while still balancing the children.

"I wasn't expecting to see you guys here today." He said to Machi as they walked towards the store door.

Mutsuki was back on the ground and walking beside Yuki, who had an arm around Machi.

"We went grocery shopping and decided to walk you home today." She replied.

"You don't usually go grocery shopping on a Tuesday." He noted.

Machi was silent. Mr. Hamasaki happily greeted the family and ushered them inside the warm shop. He went to the back to find a chair for Machi, and the children zoomed around the shop looking at the plants, vases, stuffed animals and small decorations. Once she thought they were distracted enough, Machi responded to her husband's earlier comment.

"Your mother called." She informed him, she was looking away from him and and had her arms crossed.

Mutsuki stayed close to the cooler of flowers, so that he could listen in. He watched his father put his head in his hand for a moment and mutter something, before moving into his wife's line of vision.

"How bad was it?"

"Would have been worse if the baby wasn't in the way."

Mr. Hamasaki came back with the chair.

"Thank you, Mr. Hamasaki." Mutsuki's parents said.

"You're welcome. Yuki, can you come back out soon, to help?"

"Yes, Mr. Hamasaki." Yuki replied. "I just needed to ask Machi something, first."

"Okay." Mr. Hamasaki said as he walked out the door.

"What did she want this time?" Yuki asked.

"She has a dinner party, the same day as Miyuki's birthday party, and wants _us_ to reschedule."

"I'm guessing you told her 'No.' and she treated and she treated you like family."

"That would be correct..."

Yuki sighed in frustration. Before Machi spoke in a quieter voice.

"...And then she asked if my ' _bastard'_ brother was coming."

" _SHE WHAT?!_ " Yuki asked angrily.

Mutsuki and Miyuki stared at their father. He saw them staring and let out another sigh, before putting his hand on Machi's shoulder.

"I'm gonna finish up here and then we'll head home, okay? I'll call her in the morning."

"Okay."

Yuki and Mr. Hamasaki finished closing, as fast as they could. The small Sohma family exchanged goodbyes with the store owner and walked home with their groceries. Mutsuki walked between his parents, while Miyuki was carried by their father again. The walk was peaceful, as long as you did not count what was going on in Mutsuki's head. The house was a mess. Daddy is overworked. What if he got mad at Mommy? What would happen then?

The moment the apartment door opened, Mutsuki kicked off his shoes and ran down the hall to the main room. His parents exchanged confused looks as they took off their shoes and coats, before following. They entered to find the laundry piled messily into basket, and saw Mutsuki shoving books on the shelf as fast he could.

"Eh... Mutsuki, you don't have to do that." Yuki told his son.

"But I want to help." Mutsuki replied, as he looked up at his father. "You've been working all day."

"If you want to help, how about you take your sister to your bedroom and play with her while your mother and I deal with this and make dinner."

" _I'm_ making dinner." Machi corrected, before Mutsuki could argue. "I would like our children to _live_."

"My cooking isn't that bad, is it?" Yuki asked with genuine curiosity.

"I just had a cold, then _you_ made soup for me and I was _vomiting_." She reminded him as she walked to the kitchen with the groceries.

"That was seven years ago, I've cooked more recently than that." Yuki tried reasoning, as he took the book out of Mutsuki's hand and began putting the books away himself.

"More vomit." Machi called back from the fridge that she had just opened.

Mutsuki realized that his parents' conversation would not stop and that they also would not let him help. They were serious about wanting him and Miyuki out of the way.

"Doesn't count, you were pregnant and didn't know it."

Mutsuki grabbed his sister's hand and walked to the hallway door.

"Diarrhea." His mother called before the door shut, muffling his father's reply.

When they reached the room, Mutsuki decided that if he was taking care of his sister, then that meant that hey should play what she wanted. Miyuki chose tea party, so Mutsuki looked around the room trying to figure out how to accomplish the task that she had set out for him. He opened the closet and pulled out a cardboard box, which he placed in the middle of the room and covered with Miyuki's favorite blanket. Miyuki set her favorite stuffed animals and dolls around it, while Mutsuki tried to figure out how to reach the top shelf of the closet. When he, finally, had an idea, he pushed the makeshift table and it's guests to the side of the room.

"Mutsuki!" Miyuki cried. "What you doing?! Tea party!"

"I know Miyuki," Mutsuki said, while moving the nightstand over to the closet. "But we need to get the tea set that Uncle Aya gave us, and we can't bother Mommy and Daddy."

"We still playing?" She asked.

"Yes. Now help me." He said as gestured to mattress.

Miyuki scrambled to help her big brother move the mattress off the bed. After they flopped it onto the floor, they shoved it right behind the nightstand. Mutsuki pulled all of the futons, blankets and anything soft out of the closet and tossed them on the mattress. Then he ran and grabbed the giant, magic staff, that had been given to them by Uncle Aya, and clambered onto the nightstand with it. He used the staff to push open the door of the, separated, top shelf. After putting the staff away, he climbed back onto nightstand and pulled Miyuki up behind him, and onto the first shelf of the main closet.

"So I'll crouch down like this, and then you use me as a stool and climb up to the top shelf. You push the box down when I tell you."

"Okay!" Miyuki agreed,

Neither of the children considered how badly this could go, as they proceeded with Mutsuki's plan. Mutsuki wobbled a little as he tried to stay close enough to the edge so that his sister could lean out and pull herself up to the next shelf. Miyuki braced her right foot against the inside of the closet door while she tried to get a grip on the shelf. When she felt she had it, she began to pull herself up while pressing her foot against the door to help push herself upward. When Mutsuki felt his sister's foot leave his back, he stood up and helped push her up as much as he could.

"Miyuki? Are you in?" Mutsuki asked.

"In!" Her voice called back excitedly.

"Good. Now find the box, but don't push it down yet." He instructed her.

"Pretty box. Pretty box-" She began mumbling as she looked around for it.

Mutsuki jumped out of the closet and shoved the nightstand out of the way. He was shoving the mattress closer to the closet when Miyuki called out.

"Found it! Throw it?"

"Not yet!" Mutsuki called back. "Wait."

After mattress was in front of the closet, Mutsuki began arranging the pillows, stuffed animals, futons, blankets and some clothes; so that it would be as high and soft as possible. After pushing down a bit to check the softness, he determined that it was safe.

"Okay. Just push it out, now!" He instructed his sister.

She peeked out, before pushing the, large, flowered box onto the soft pile. The box landed and sunk into the pile. Mutsuki grabbed the box and set it to the side then looked back up at his sister.

"Okay. Now _you_ jump."

Miyuki looked down at the pile and then at her brother. She shook her head.

"What? Miyu, don't mess around, come back down!" He demanded.

"No! You get me!" She called back with tears starting to form.

"I can't! Just jump! It's safe!"

"NO!" Miyuki screamed, now completely in tears, and backing further into the closet.

"Miyuki! Come on! We can't play tea party if you don't come down!"

"Mutsukiii!" The toddler whined. "Scared..."

"Miyuki-" Mutsuki was panicking. "Miyuki, please! It's safe! It's not scary! I promise!"

"Mutsuki!" The little girl cried again.

"I'm right here, Miyu! Just come down!" He called, trying to reassure his sister.

"MUTSUKI! PLEASE!"

Mutsuki froze. He did not know what to do. He had thought that he was taking good care of his sister, but now she was crying and stuck in the top shelf of their closet. She had gone up easily enough, why could she not come down? His parents had asked him to do _one_ thing. _One thing_! He had thought that it was stupid, and too easy, but now he had messed up that _one easy thing_. What would he do? Miyuki was stuck and his parents had been counting on him.

The door slid open fast, and he looked over to see his father and mother rushing in, in a panic. They looked around, frantically.

"What's going on?!" Yuki asked. "Where's Miyu?!"

Mutsuki pointed up to the closet and his parents' gaze followed in horror. Miyuki was sitting in the corner of the closet and had her arms wrapped around her legs, while she bawled.

"Miyuki!" Machi and Yuki cried out.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" The child screamed out reaching her arms out and crawling a little closer to the edge. "DADDY!" She screamed again.

Yuki wasted no time in running over the pile in front of the closet and stepping onto the first shelf. He grabbed the edge of the top shelf and reached into the closet with one arm pulled his screaming daughter into his arm and to his side. He stepped down and pulled her into a full hug, as she continued to cry. Machi came closer and rubbed the girl's back until the sobbing began to subside into hiccups. Mutsuki was clinging to his mother's skirt with one hand and reaching up to hold Miyuki's foot with the other.

"I'm sorry." He whined. "I didn't think she'd get stuck."

"Mutsuki," His father said, now looking down at him, "I asked you to watch your sister. What was she doing up there? _How_ did she get up there?"

"She wanted to play tea party, so we were trying to get the tea set." Mutsuki explained, pointing to the box they had retrieved, while choking back tears of shame.

His mother squatted as best she could, and held his head between her hands, while stroking his hair like she always did when she was comforting him.

"Why didn't you just ask for help?" She asked, gently.

"We didn't want to bother you. Daddy was working a-all day... and th-then you had to clean and m-m-make dinner. Y-you as-asked me t-to watch Miyu... S-so... I wanted to help... I thought we c-could do it a-and clean up the m-m-mess!" Mutsuki was losing the fight with the tears. "I h-helped her... helped her get up... and t-told her to push the box. I th-thought that she c-could j-jump out a-after it! I d-d-didn't th-think th-that she'd g-get stuck!" He cried out.

His mother pulled him into another hug and rubbed his back.

"We weren't too busy to ask." She said. "That would have been a small thing for us to do."

"But it was a dangerous thing for the two of you to do." His father said. "I don't know how you were able to get Miyuki up there, but it was a very dangerous thing to do. It's a miracle that no one got hurt."

"I-I'm sorry." Mutsuki said, now looking up to his father, who was still holding Miyuki close to him. "I'm r-really sorry."

His parents sighed and looked at each other. His father crouched down to his level and looked him in the eyes.

"I know that you were just trying to help, so I won't punish you too badly. But you need to understand that your actions carry consequences. For now we'll just clean up in here, and then eat dinner. We'll discuss your punishment later."

"I'll clean it up by myself!" Mutsuki said quickly. "I made the mess and almost hurt Miyu! That should be part of my punishment!"

"Well-" His father thought about it.

"It does sound fair." His Mother said. "He can clean the room without Miyuki's help, for the next week and maybe clean the toilet."

"I suppose that's fair." Yuki agreed. "Well, then, it's settled. You better st-"

"Hello?" A shaky voice called from the hallway. "Is everybody alright?"

Their superintendent and the old man from next door, poked their heads into the room. The superintendent was a rather slight man in his thirties, who always wore a navy blue baseball cap, he was generally a very laid back individual, but right now he seemed ready to jump out of his old man was taller with a thicker build, and balding head, he seemed concerned but calm. The moment they spotted the young family, however, they visibly relaxed.

"Oh, thank goodness, your neighbors heard screaming and got concerned when you didn't answer the door." The superintendent explained while slumping against the door frame in relief.

"Sorry." Yuki said. "The children tried to get something off of the top shelf by themselves and Miyuki got stuck. I guess we were so relieved that she was alright, that we didn't hear the knocking."

The old man burst out laughing, while the younger man slumped even further.

"We were worried that someone had broken in a-and maybe killed you." He mumbled.

"We're really sorry about all of this." Yuki apologized.

"At least they're okay." The old man reassured him. "And they were just trying to be independent, not misbehaving, so I'm sure that the other neighbors will forgive it. Don't worry about it."

"I thought we were going to find blood and their bodies, oh god, what if they had actually been dead..." The superintendent continued to murmur to himself.

"I'll take him out and explain it to the other neighbors!" The old man continued laughing as he slapped the younger man's back and dragged back out of the apartment. "Goodnight Sohmas!"

"Goodnight Mr. Takashi, Mr. Kogane." Yuki called. "Thank you for your concern."

"Goodnight." Machi waved.

Mutsuki was not even halfway through cleaning his room when his father called him into the dining room for an extremely late dinner. It was not a complicated dinner. His parents had apparently decided to let them have their tea party and made some small sandwiches and soup. They set the table with the tea set, that Uncle Ayay had brought back from Europe, and some bowls for the soup. In the center of the table, Mutsuki recognized the treats that he and Miyuki had decorated that afternoon. It was a nice dinner and Mutsuki was happy that his sister still got her tea party, and better yet, that it had real food. He even wore the flowered hat that she had picked out for him.

After dinner, he helped his mother clean up and then went back to his room to keep cleaning. He tried to put the contents of the closet back the way he had found it, but was not sure that he had succeeded. Then he folded the clothes as best he could and put them back in the drawer. The hardest part was putting the furniture back to it's original position, especially the mattress. He still had to make the bed and clean up whatever mess was left on the floor, but he was so tired. His parents had checked in a while ago. Miyuki was sleeping in their room, they had suggested that he sleep on a futon or the couch, and finish in the morning. He had insisted that he finished cleaning before bed and they had left him to it. Now, though, he was exhausted. He wanted to sleep, but wanted to finish what he had started before he did.

He collapsed on the mattress after finally returning it to bed frame. Maybe he would just close his eyes for a bit. It would not take long, just long enough to get back his energy. Then he could finish cleaning the room and go to sleep for the night. This was a lot of work. No wonder Mommy had not wanted to clean her own mess... Maybe that was why Daddy never brought her perfect flowers. Maybe he really was angry at her. Maybe if Mutsuki helped more, Daddy would not be so overworked. That sounded like a good idea to Mutsuki. He would just help some more. Then everything would be fine and nobody would talk about his family anymore.

When Mutsuki woke up, he was horrified to see sunlight. He had fallen asleep. He sat up and realized that somebody had covered him with a blanket. He also saw that whoever did it, had put his favorite stuffed mouse in his arms and a pillow under his head. He jumped up and finished cleaning the room as fast as he could.

When he was done, he walked into the hall and saw that his father's gardening boots were gone. He must have gone to work at the big house today, so he wouldn't be home until after dinner. Mutsuki walked into down the hall and saw his mother cleaning up after breakfast, while his sister dried the dishes.

"I saved some breakfast for you." His mother said as she walked to the fridge to pull out his breakfast.

Mutsuki thanked his mother for breakfast and ate in silence, not noticing the curious look she gave him. Once he finished eating, he cleaned his bowl before his mother could finish hanging the laundry on the porch. The day continued with him rushing to clean up every mess he saw, and doing some extra cleaning after his mother. It baffled him though, that every time he turned around, there was still something off in the house and that his mother seemed slightly agitated. She kept suggested that he go play with his friend down the hall, but he insisted on staying in the apartment.

Mutsuki was surprised when his father arrived home before dinner. He was supposed to be home late today. He was even more surprised when his father did not even give anybody the usual hugs and kisses, and instead went straight to his mother. The two began whispering quietly between each other and glancing at him. Finally his father walked over to him.

"Mutsuki, do you remember what your punishment was?"

"Cleaning my room without help and the toilet."

"So why have you been cleaning everything else? Your mother says that you've barely stopped."

"I'm just trying to help."

"Well maybe you can help by watching your sister."

Mutsuki looked down.

"Do you still feel bad about last night?" Yuki asked.

Mutsuki nodded and pretended that that was the only reason.

"Look, Mutsuki, what happened last night was an accident and you've learned from it. It would be really helpful to your mother, if you could play with your sister so that she isn't underfoot all the time, okay?"

"Okay." Mutsuki agreed.

Yuki and Machi thought that that would be the end of it, but the strange behavior continues. It was not as bad as the first day, but it had been over a _month_ and Mutsuki's obsessive cleaning and uptight manner had not ceased. It did not just end with Mutsuki though, the combination of their child's mood shift, pregnancy hormones and phone calls from both of their parents was making Machi agitated. Which led to, what could only be described as, a battle between Mutsuki and his parents. Machi would clean, Mutsuki would clean some more and Machi would make a minor mess which their son would clean. Yuki would come home and spend the night preventing his son from cleaning, and possibly make a few messes of his own. Mutsuki was also playing less and barely leaving the apartment, and his friendly, carefree temperament was gone, causing his parents to worry.

Miyuki's birthday was around the corner and the mystery of Mutsuki's behavior had still not been solved. Machi had finally snapped and trashed the apartment, even one of Yuki's potted plants was destroyed. She cleaned up the glass, but left the rest of the mess and warned Mutsuki, in no uncertain terms, not to clean it.

Mutsuki was now furious with his mother. He was just trying to help and make sure that Daddy did not get upset, because _she_ was not helping. Then she goes and makes a huge mess. Did she not know how hard Daddy worked? Maybe those women were right. Did she even care?

Why did Daddy even marry her?

* * *

 _As unbelievable as the closet scene might seem, not only have seen the children I babysit do it, but my siblings and I have done it ourselves._

 _Once again, thank you for reading! I'll try to update on a weekly basis, but between work and life, I'll probably be a little bit behind from time to time._


	3. Holding Me Closer

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket_

* * *

 **Photographs of Ours**

 **Chapter Three: Holding Me Closer**

Mutsuki was sitting on the swing in the park. He was by himself today. His father had taken Miyuki with him, to pick up Uncle Kakeru and his family from the train station, and his mother was in the apartment. He had been in the apartment too, not very long ago. His mother had asked him to go to his room for a bit, after she had caught him on top of the bookshelf... dusting. Apparently climbing on top of shelves was always going to be a no. After about ten minutes in his room, he heard a crashing noise and ran to main room to see what was going on. He was worried that his mother may have dropped something or that it had fallen on her, and she may be hurt. The last thing he had expected when he slammed the door open, was to see his mother, surrounded by overturned furniture, and staring at him with a terrified expression.

"Mutsuki?" She whispered.

The young boy took a step forward, intending to walk to his scared mother. However, before his first step could land, his mother was running towards him and yelling.

"NO! The glass!"

She pushed a hand to his chest and he braced himself against the door frame. He looked down and saw that he had almost stepped on some shards of glass.

"I can grab the broom an-"

"No! No, you're not cleaning anything. Mommy will deal with it, alright?"

"Okay... can I at least hand you the broom? It's still in the toilet."

"Yes. Yes, that's a good idea." She agreed.

Mutsuki ran to the toilet and grabbed the broom for his mother, while she walked into the kitchen and started heating up some water. He watched her, from the hallway, as she cleaned up the glass. When she finally let him cross the threshold, he walked into the kitchen and saw her making tea in one of his father's travel mugs. Not long after, she handed the thermos to him and told him to go to the park. She would call his father and tell him to pick Mutsuki up on his way home.

That was how Mutsuki ended up on the swing, sipping his hot tea. He slowly pushed the swing back and forth with his feet. He had been frustrated with his mother for weeks now, but there was something different about today. Usually when she made a mess, it was intentional and easy to clean up, with no damage. Today, however, it had almost seemed like she was not in control. The whole room looked like it had been overturned, and some items were even broken. She had looked terrified when Mutsuki opened that door, and acted oddly once she snapped out of it. What was going on?

Mutsuki took another sip of tea from the thermos and looked up, hoping to see his dad. All he saw were dead leaves being blown across the park and a squirrel sniffing around the benches. He sighed and looked back down at the travel mug in his lap, while pushing the swing back and forth with his feet. The last thing he expected, was a small, but forceful, shove to his back.

"Boo!" Yelled the voice of another child as Mustuki went flying off the swing.

His lukewarm tea splashed his face and he landed on the ground. He propped himself up on his hands and heard the loud, hearty, laughter of his cousin, Shoichi. Turning his head around, Mutsuki saw his, dark haired, cousin doubled over in laughter and clutching his stomach.

"Jerk!" Mutsuki yelled, as he threw a handful of dead leaves at Shoichi.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Soichi gasped through his laughter. "I didn't think I was pushing you that hard!"

"Then why are you laughing?" Mutsuki asked.

"Because it was so funny to see you flying!"

"Not as funny as you trying to talk to Avril!" Mutsuki yelled back.

Shoichi's laughter was cut short and his face turned red at the mention of Mutsuki's pretty cousin. Now it was Mutsuki's turn to laugh, as well as the adults, who's arrival he had not noticed. Uncle Kakeru, who was holding Miyuki, put a hand on his embarrassed son's head and ruffled his hair.

"I suppose that's punishment enough." He said.

"Punishment?!" Shoichi exclaimed. "But I didn't mean to! It was an accident Daddy! I swear!"

Yuki helped Mutsuki stand up and brushed him off. He looked up at his brother-in-law, who was now arguing with his son over whether or not pushing Mutsuki off the swing was an accident. He chuckled under his breathe and picked up the thermos that Mutsuki had dropped, before turning to face Kakeru and Shoichi.

"Kakeru, I don't think Shoichi took after you enough for it to be on purpose."

" _WHAT?!_ " Kakeru exclaimed, loudly, looking up from his son. "YUN-YUN! HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING SO CRUEL?!"

"It's not cruel, it's a fact." Yuki replied while Kakeru continued to beat at his chest with one hand while still holding his giggling niece with his other arm.

"YOUR DADDY IS SO MEAN MIYU! JUST YOU WAIT! YOU MAY BE HIS PRINCESS NOW, BUT ALL THAT WILL CHANGE WHEN YOU'RE OLDER!"

Shoichi dragged Mustuki over to his giggling mother who was holding her one year old daughter, Yuna.

"What?! Don't say things like that Kakeru! She might believe you!" Yuki panicked in the background.

"Hi Aunt Komaki."

"Hello Mutsuki, it's nice to see you again. How have things been since I last saw you?"

"Fine. Are you going to stop them?"

"No. I never do. This is just their way of playing."

Mutsuki looked over at his father, uncle and sister. Yuki was now holding Miyuki, while tugging on Kakeru's ear.

" _If_ Miyu ever dates, I trust that she will only date the most respectable of men, that Machi and I _both_ approve of."

How had their conversation gotten there? Mutsuki had only stopped paying attention for a few seconds.

"You don't know that for sure Yun-Yun!" Kakeru muffled out.

"Yeah! Get 'im Uncle Yuki! Get 'im!" Shoichi cheered.

Yuki and Kakeru both stopped what they were doing and stared at Shoichi.

"What?" Shoichi asked.

"Shouldn't you be supporting him?" Yuki asked, pointing at Kakeru, who was now babbling about his son's betrayal.

"He didn't support _me_." The little boy reminded them.

"That was different!" Kakeru exclaimed. "I'm your father! And you hurt your cousin!"

The squabble went on for a few more minutes before everyone calmed down and began the journey back to the apartment. Carrying the luggage was easy, as there where only two suitcases, a diaper bag and Shoichi's backpack. Shoichi, while being less troublesome than his father, had inherited his energy and was enthusiastically telling Mutsuki about his adventures at home. He constantly jumped in the air, spun around and gesticulated wildly as he spoke.

"-and BAM! They were no match for me an' Daddy!" He yelled out with a punch.

The four year old had just finished a story about the bad guys who had given his mother a stressful day. He and his father had defeated them by making dinner and cleaning the house. Yuki rolled his eyes as he led the way into the apartment. It was something that only Kakeru would convince a child of, and yet it _was_ effective.

The moment he opened the door to their unit, Kakeru was running down the hall.

"He's gonna get slapped, he knows that, right?" Yuki asked his sister-in-law.

"I'm sure he does." She sighed.

The two remaining adults, helped the children take off their shoes while listening to Kakeru's antics.

"Mochiiii!"

"Don't call me that!"

"We've arrived- Are you okay?"

Apparently, things were bad enough that Kakeru was putting aside messing with his sister and going into big brother mode. Yuki straightened up and began to travel down the hall to check on his wife, while Kakaeru kept talking. Mutsuki and Shoichi chased after him, curiously.

"What's wrong? Did Yun-Yun do something? YUKI-"

SMACK!

"Knock it off Kakeru!" Machi snapped. "It's not Yuki's fault!"

Yuki opened the door and saw a fuming Machi, glaring at her older brother. Kakeru seemed unfazed by the fact that he had just been slapped and continued to question her in a lower voice. The two little boys were confused.

"Then what _did_ happen? Because you haven't done this in years."

He was certainly concerned, and now that Yuki looked around, he could see why. The room was not trashed, but it was not their usual version of clean either. When Machi had said she was cleaning it up, she had meant her post-meltdown cleanup that he had witnessed the first time he met her. Everything was shoved back into place haphazardly and some objects were even in the completely wrong location. The furniture was also off.

"We'll talk about it after dinner." Machi mumbled, glancing down at the boys.

"Fine." Kakeru agreed.

Yuki realized that the couch was a few feet off from where it had been when he had left. Kakeru began talking in his usual, cheerful tone, as Komaki and the girls entered the room.

"Now how's my li-"

"Machi," Yuki interrupted Kakeru, "did you move the couch?"

The adults all focused on Machi.

"Ah... Uh... Yes... I did." She replied.

"Why?!" Yuki asked.

"Well... it was... on it's side..."

All the adults began to talk over each other.

"WHAT!? MACHI!"

"Why? HOW?!"

"CHI! WHA- THE-"

"-BABY!" Yuki and Komaki spluttered out at the same time.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT! GO MACHI!" Kakeru exclaimed.

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HER!" Yuki and Komaki snapped at Kakeru.

"Can we talk about this later?" Machi asked as she moved to greet her niece and nephew.

"NO!" The men yelled grabbing her arms before she could pick up Yuna.

"You're resting!" Yuki informed her, as he and Kakeru began to lead her to the bedroom.

"But I'm fine!" She protested, planting her feet firmly on the ground. "And why are you agreeing with him Kakeru? You weren't concerned a second ago."

"Just following Leader's commands!"

"I'm sure you're fine, Machi, but we'll feel better if you rest for a bit before picking up heavy children." Yuki tried convincing her.

"But the childr-"

"They'll be fine. There's three adults." Kakeru tried to assure her, as he tried to make her budge.

"I meant that I haven't seen your kids in two months and I haven't even greeted them _or_ my children."

"You can do that later. I'm sure they'll understand." Kakeru said.

"No! This is ridiculous! I'm fine!"

"We're worried about the baby, not you!" Kakeru argued.

"We're worried about _both_ of you!" Yuki corrected. "Kakeru, don't try to force her, you could hurt them!"

"Would you just-"

"Chi," Komaki said, tapping Machi's shoulder, "What if the kids go in the room with you?" She suggested. "I'll make some tea and you can sit in bed while talking to them. It will calm everyone down."

The four of them all looked between each other for a few a seconds before coming to a decision.

"Fine." Machi agreed.

"Good!" Yuki said, as he and Kakeru ushered her to the bedroom.

"Onward!" Kakeru declared. "Party in Aunt Machi and Uncle Yuki's room!"

The three older kids cheered and followed after them, dragging Yuna along.

"Why do you think they were so freaked about the couch?" Shoichi whispered to Mutsuki.

"I don't know. They kept talking about the baby, but I know that it was Mommy who flipped it." Mutsuki whispered back.

"Whoa! That's so cool! Your mom is Godzilla!"

He glanced at his father and uncle, tucking the blankets in around his red-faced mother's legs. Uncle Kakeru seemed to be going out of his way to embarrass her, while Miyuki and Yuna were trying to climb on the bed.

"Really?" Mutsuki asked.

"Yeah! Couches are heavy! Remember when we tried to move the couch at my house? It was too heavy!"

"Shoichi!" Kakeru called. "Come say hi to your aunt. She deserves it after the fight she put up."

Shoichi ran to the bed, jumped up and landed right between Miyuki and Yuna. The two girls giggled and squealed while their fathers nearly had a heart attack and Machi laughed. Mutsuki followed his cousin, but climbed up instead of jumping.

"Hi Aunt Machi! How's the baby?"

"No jumping on the bed!" Yuki reprimanded, as the the toddlers began bouncing around.

"The baby seems very excited about your visit." Machi said. "He's been moving around a lot today."

"Really?!" Shoichi asked.

"But he doesn't kick that hard." Mutsuki informed him.

Machi laughed a little at this. Her son did not seem to understand that there were layers of flesh and fluid dampening the kick that he felt, whereas she could feel every direct attack on her organs. Shoichi asked some more questions about the baby and the children took turns trying to feel the baby move, while Machi and Yuki asked their niece and nephew questions. Yuna could not talk much yet, but Shoichi talked enough for both of them.

After they had finished the tea that Komaki made, the adults made them leave the room so that Machi could rest. The boys went to Mutsuki's room, with Miyuki tagging along, where Shoichi showed off his new toy -a black transformer. They tried playing together, but Miyuki got upset about her dolls getting attacked by transformers and ran to the adults in tears. In the end, Mutsuki and Shoichi were put to work, helping Komaki make dinner, while Yuki and Kakeru played with the girls.

It was a lively meal, with eight people gathered around the small table. Komaki had made tonkatsu, with rice and cabbage, naturally, some of it ended up being thrown by Yuna and (occasionally) Miyuki. Kakeru managed to only embarrass Machi twice, and Yuki once. After a few attempts, the adults decided to catch up later, and let the children indulge in their dinnertime games. Machi and Yuki were actually relieved to see Mutsuki acting a little more like himself.

After dinner, the adults cleaned up and talked while the children ran around the living room, playing tag. Once they were done, they got the kids to calm down while they set the room up for the Manabes' stay. The couch was pushed back and a futon was laid on the floor, for Kakeru and Komaki. The crib was moved into the living room, for Yuna to sleep in.

After everything was set up, it was decided that the children could stay up as late as they wanted, since it was a special occasion. The rest of the night was spent playing board and card games and later, watching a movie. Yuki gave his wife and children a kiss goodnight, before heading to bed, while they played a game.

One by one the children fell asleep during the movie. First Yuna, who was put in the crib, next Miyuki, who stayed in her mother's arms. Mutsuki had been sitting on the futon with Shoichi and Komaki until the two of them fell asleep and he moved to the couch, where his mother and uncle were sitting. After a short time, he began to slowly nod off, while sitting in Kakeru's lap.

Sometime after the movie ended, Mutsuki woke up quietly. He did not attempt move, as he was quite content, and would happily drift back to sleep. Upon hearing the hushed voices of his mother and uncle, however, he became curious and decided to listen in on their conversation.

"-for weeks now -non-stop cleaning, and I don't know why. I have to _force_ him to go play with his friends."

His mother sighed on frustration. Mutsuki cracked an eye open. The room was dimly lit by the glow of the television, and he could see his mother holding her head in one hand while she rocked Miyuki in the other arm. He saw his uncle's arm reach out and wrap around her shoulders.

"What did I do?" She asked, miserably. "We've tried not to repeat our parents' mistakes, and somehow we're still hurting Mutsuki!"

"Machi, it's not your fault." Kakeru reassured his sister.

"How can it not be? I'm his mother!"

"But he doesn't learn everything from you and Yuki. Children learn from the world around them."

"Then who's fault is it? How am I suppose to fix it? Do you think he's spending too much time around adults? There aren't a lot of kids in this neighborhood."

Machi had finally removed her hand from her face and was looking at her big brother, desperately hoping that he had an answer.

"That might be part of it..." Kakeru agreed thoughtfully. "Although, most of the adults you hang out with don't seem like the type to get these ideas in his head."

This answer did not seem to comfort Machi at all, and Kakeru picked up on it. He sighed and drew his little sister in closer.

"Look, I'm sure that it's just a phase. Kids go through them all the time -just this year, Shoichi went from wanting to be a Pokemon trainer, to a chef, then a _cowboy!_ And now he wants to be an astronaut. It's all a part of growing up. I'm sure that this'll wear off in no time and his slob traits will take over -don't think for one minute that I haven't snooped through your closets. Between you and Yun-Yun it will be a miracle if any of your children really _are_ neat freaks."

Machi giggled a little.

"Thanks Kakeru."

"For what? I'm pretty sure that I just insulted you."

Machi reached out and began stroking her son's hair. Through his cracked eye, Mutsuki could see the content smile that he had not seen since the day his grandmother called.

"For reassuring me that he'll be alright."

"Nah- Don't thank me. It's all a part of being a kick-ass big brother."

Machi chuckled under her breathe.

"I never imagined that we would be like this." She commented. "Remember when we hated each other?"

"I never hated you Machi." Kakeru said.

Machi looked up at him, questioningly, her hand still resting on Mutsuki's head.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Even when we were competing?"

"Even back then." Kakeru confirmed. "I couldn't bring myself to hate the little girl who was supposed to be my sister, especially when she hadn't done anything to me. I know that I got frustrated and angry sometimes, but I never _hated_ you. If anything, I was worried about you."

"So it was only me?"

"Oh come on Machi! I'm sure you never hated me! Probably resented me and got annoyed a lot, but you never _hated_ me!"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Between the time you got kicked out and the time Yuki and I visited your place; you only trusted me and Komaki. If you really hated me, you wouldn't have come with me whenever I asked."

"I suppose you're right."

"Hey! Remember the time I told you to come to the Commander's shop?" Kakeru asked with a soft laugh.

Mutsuki felt his mother's hand leave his head temporarily, to hit his uncle.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"That will never be funny."

"I was trying to _help_ you!"

"By delivering me to a pervert?"

"No! I was giving you and Yun-Yun the push that you both needed!"

"Yes, by letting a pervert dress me up in maid costumes. There are better methods."

"Oh, it ended well for the two of you, why are you still complaining about it?"

"How would you like it if somebody did that to Yuna?"

"Yuna's just a little girl nobody would-"

"She won't stay one forever." Machi interjected.

Mutsuki felt his Uncle's arm tighten around him.

"Kakeru?" Machi questioned, slightly concerned.

"That- That can't -I'd kill them." Kakeru muttered in a dark voice.

Mutsuki did not understand what they were talking about, all he knew was that his silly uncle, was now quite scary.

"Kakeru. Careful. You'll wake Mutsuki."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." He apologized before he relaxed his arm again. "Man! It's late! We should probably head to bed."

"Yeah, you're right," She yawned, "I'll take Mutsuki."

"No, It's alright, I've got him. You just put Miyu in the crib with Yuna and head to bed. You need the sleep more than me."

Mutsuki felt himself being shifted to rest on his uncle's shoulder, as he stood up.

"Kakeru, it will only take a few minutes, plus you need to get Shoichi to bed as well."

"Look, Machi, I tried not to say anything earlier, because Yuki and Komaki were both going at you, but you need to take it easy."

"Wha-"

"You flipped a _couch_ Machi, a _couch_! And you're pregnant! As impressive as that is, you could have hurt yourself or the baby."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know, and I know that you lose control when you go into these rages; but you haven't had one in _years,_ and I know that you're under a lot of stress right now. You need to take it easy when you can. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for your family."

"But I can't, they need-"

"Listen. I know that you can't take it easy all the time -you have responsibilities, I get it- but you can for the next few days. Komaki and I here to help; and with the party, the pregnancy, the kids and your parents coming, you need to relax wherever you can, because that much stress is dangerous."

It was silent for a few seconds, before Machi sighed and stood up.

"That doesn't mean much coming from a slacker like you."

"Whatever, just go to bed already, I'm sure that our fragile princess is getting cold without you."

"Goodnight, Kakeru."

"Goodnight, Mochi -ow!"

"Stop calling me that!"

By the time his uncle laid him down, Mutsuki was fully awake and thinking about the weird conversation he had just heard. Mistakes? Competing? Perverts? Pushing? Uncle Kakeru was going to kill somebody? And who was the frail princess? He was still thinking about it when Shoichi was tucked in next to him. He spent the rest of the night awake and watching his cousin drool while he tried figure out what the adults had been talking about.

It was still dark when he heard his father getting ready for work. Apparently Uncle Kakeru had heard too, because he heard their voices speaking softly for a few minutes, before the sounds of his father moving around the apartment resumed. When he heard his father putting on his boots in the hallway, Mutsuki got out of bed and opened his door.

"Daddy?"

Yuki looked up from his boots, and saw his son standing in the bedroom doorway. He pulled the onigiri, that he was holding in his mouth, out so that he could speak to him.

"Mutsuki, what are you doing up? It's four in the morning." He asked, beckoning his son to come over.

Mutsuki walked over to Yuki, who picked him up.

"Are you going to work?"

"Yes. I am."

"Why are you leaving so early?"

"Well, I have to cover some plants in one of the gardens I work in, because it's getting too cold for them, and I have to do my shift in the greenhouse as well as the shop."

"But it's still dark."

"Yes, but if I do the work early in the morning, I get to come home earlier and spend more time with you, Mommy and Miyu."

"Do you _have_ to?"

Yuki chuckled.

"Yes. I do. It's part of being an adult, plus I like being able to provide for my family on my own."

"Provide?" Mutsuki asked.

"You'll understand someday." Yuki told him. "Now how about you go back to bed? I have to leave now. Okay?"

"Okay." Mutsuki replied and hugged his father. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Yuki said, before putting him down. "If you're hungry, Mommy hid some onigiri for me, but I'm sure you can find it."

"Why did she hide it?" Mutsuki asked.

"Because uncle Kakeru would eat them all if she didn't, and she didn't want me to be hungry. So don't let him find out, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Now I really have to leave, have a good day."

Mutsuki watched his father pick up his bag and walk out the door, before heading to the kitchen to find the hidden onigiri. He was careful make sure that his uncle was asleep before opening the fridge and trying to figure out where his mother would have hidden them. Eventually he spotted a brightly colored plastic tub on the middle shelf. He did not know what was usually kept in it, but whatever it was, he knew that his mother did not like it and his uncle probably did not either, according to his father.

Mutsuki opened it, pulled out a few of the plastic wrapped rice balls, put the bin away and closed the fridge. He ate his onigiri carefully, trying not get crumbs on the table. They were not as good as aunt Tohru's, but he still loved the onigiri that his mother made.

He glanced around the apartment. It was strangely quiet for now, but he knew that would change soon. His grandparents and cousins would begin arriving in a day or two, and even though they would be staying in hotels or with the Hamasakis and Mrs. Sakai, it was going to be loud. It seemed that every time the Sohmas came to visit, the neighborhood descended into chaos, at least that was was what his parents and Uncle Hatori said. It did not seem so bad to Mutsuki, and the other residents did not seem to mind... Except for the time that Aunt Kagura broke a table in a restaurant... And the times that Uncle Kyo had fights with Uncle Haru or Aunts Rin and Arisa in public. Uncle Haru had once broken a display in a store once. Some people seemed to be scared of Aunt Saki, but Mutsuki did not really get why, she was always so nice. He knew that not all of them were coming, but he was still excited to see his family.

* * *

 _I apologize for the long wait. I know that I said weekly, but apparently I'm a liar. I'll try to be more consistent, but things are kind of crazy right now._

 _I had a hard time writing Kakeru, because he's a complex enough character to begin with, but then I had to add seven years, marriage, two children, niece, nephew, brother-in-law, running a business and growing closer to his sister... I was lost. I re-read his scenes several times, and eventually decided to keep his characteristics close to what they were in the manga, with a stronger emphasis on his concern for family and his attempts to balance his goofiness with being a good father. I'm still not sure that I succeeded._

 _Once again, thank you for reading!_


	4. New Arrivals

**_Important, please read._**

 _Thanks to my world renowned organizational skills, I lost the notebook that I wrote the original copy of the next few chapters in, and am now on my third re-write. It may be a while longer till the next chapter is released, so as an apology, I'll give you this deleted scene to read.  
I really loved this scene, but unfortunately had to cut it (along with other scenes), as it made the chapter move too slowly -So I'm glad that I get to share with you guys instead of keeping it locked away in the darkest corner of my computer._

* * *

By some stroke of luck, Ms. Todo suggested a girls' day after making a comment about how big and tired his mother looked. With Uncle Kakeru pushing and Aunt Komaki pulling, the women were out the door and Uncle Kakeru was in charge. He began looking over the to-do list that Machi and Yuki had made, while also making the boys get ready for the day. While he was still trying to decide how to get as much done as possible, the door burst open and Uncle Ayame entered in a grand fanfare.

"Fear not Dear Brother! Your days of darkness have come to an end, as _I_ the number one, most caring big brother and adoring uncle have arrived to fight the forces that would bring a shadow across my most precious niece's birthday!"

"Yo, Commander. What's up?" Kakeru greeted from the couch as he looked up from the list.

"Flying Pot?" Ayame asked blinking for a moment as he finally took in the occupants of the room. "Where is Yuki?...And Machi ...I was certain your wife would have been here too. . . YOU FIEND! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THEM! IF THIS IS SOME PLOT TO TAKE OUR PRECIOUS NIECE AND NEPHEW, THEN IT IS FOILED AS I HAVE CERTAINLY BE NAMED AS THEIR GUARDIAN IN CASE ANY MISFORTUNE SHOULD FALL UPON MY DEAR BROTHER AND HIS LOVING WIFE FOR WHOM I HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD FOR! I SHALL NOT LE-!"

Ayame's speech was ended by his eldest daughter tripping him as she walked past him and into the room. Despite being only six years old, the little girl rolled her golden eyes at her father's theatrics, while her younger sister skipped in happily singing nonsense babble and ignoring her fallen father

* * *

 _As you can see, Ayame will always be Ayame._

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll try to get the next one up soon. I just wish I could find my notebook, instead of rewriting the whole thing._


End file.
